# Man O War Seasoning



## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

I just got this beautiful box today, the Man O War and its a 100ct humidor, and it's time for seasoning it. Let's admit it, I don't have much patience at all. I got 3 84% seasoning packets and had those in for a couple hours, and figured this is taking to long. I read Hurf and turfs thread with the sponge trick. So I decided to try it in my box. Within 30 min, the humidity shot for 63% to 70%. I have the dish and sponge in the bottom as well the hygro. Temperatures are steady 68F.

Does this strike anyone as really strange it's going up this fast? Should I abort and go back to the Boveda seasoning packets? Or throw 1 or 2 Boveda 72% packets in there to bring down the RH? My final humidification choice is the Cigar Oasis Ultra if it makes any difference.

Thanks in advance for any help.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

The reading you are getting is the ambient air humidity. You need to have that up so the wood can absorb it then bring it back down with your media of choice. Personally I wouldnt be doing the 72. If you read around a bit you will see that most go for 62-66%. I use the 65% heart felt beads. If it were me I would throw the packets back in and be patient wee hopper. A fast seasoning takes at least 3-4 days, a slow one which is considered better takes 2 weeks.

Dont use active humidification. It only works one way and thats putting moisture in. You need two way. Sticks come from retailers between 70-75% for the most part and you will need to be able to drag it down when needed. The only time active humidification is needed is on large cabinets. For a 100 count thats about 100 times overkill.

You also might want to go over to the newb area and make an introduction post before you get your balwz busted.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/new-puffer-fish-forum/


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks for responding so quickly. That makes sense, I didn't expect it to rise so quickly. As of now it's at 75RH.

I don't want to derail this with humidification choices. But most places I read and where I bought it from said they are ideal upto 100ct humidors or 1 sq ft. Here where I'm from, where it is really dry (except this year). Humidity get's sucked out of every living things. It would be nice having some active humidification, so I will see how the Oasis does before discontinuing it and going with my Boveda Packs.


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## felker14 (Jun 20, 2013)

CubanJames said:


> I just got this beautiful box today, the Man O War and its a 100ct humidor, and it's time for seasoning it. Let's admit it, I don't have much patience at all. I got 3 84% seasoning packets and had those in for a couple hours, and figured this is taking to long. I read Hurf and turfs thread with the sponge trick. So I decided to try it in my box. Within 30 min, the humidity shot for 63% to 70%. I have the dish and sponge in the bottom as well the hygro. Temperatures are steady 68F.
> 
> Does this strike anyone as really strange it's going up this fast? Should I abort and go back to the Boveda seasoning packets? Or throw 1 or 2 Boveda 72% packets in there to bring down the RH? My final humidification choice is the Cigar Oasis Ultra if it makes any difference.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any help.


I have used the set up your doing now for the past 10 + years with excellence results. A constant 65% RH with little to no maintenance. I think I refill canister with distilled water 6 times a year and replace canister 1 time a year. The only major downside with Cigar Oasis and 100 count humidor is it takes up a lot of cigar real estate, see photos. I now have coolidor with HCM Cigar Beads along with my 100 count humidor. The only change I would make if I were doing it all over would be humidor size. I would go with 300 count humidor. 
*Patience is key when seasoning humidor.* I would suggest. Put wet sponge in dish and set in humidor for a 3-5 days, take dish out and read RH 24 hours after taking dish out. If it reads 60-65 put cigars in. If higher then 65 leave lid open for 1/2 day then close lid and read RH 8 + hours after closing lid.
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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Yes the manufacturer of the devices and retailers will tell you that you need it so they can make a sale. If you poke around here a bit the only thing you will see active humidification in is large cabinets. If you are from the show me state then use it until you figure out for yourself that your sticks are too wet. Like I said they are not two way devices and will only add moisture. 

If you get the wood too wet when wiping it down it can cause warping and ruin your seal forever. Im just hoping you didnt get it too wet. If you continue with too much moisture by using 72% media we will be looking forward to your post about the burn issues you are having with your sticks.

I did my first one with a very light wipe, damp sponge, and put a large sponge with distilled water on it and it still took 3 days to get to 78% with a 50% ambient.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

In the Man O War box. The Oasis mounts to the lid, so it doesn't take up any real estate. Felker14, I would like to send you a PM about your Oasis if I could please, I just have a couple questions. Also, thanks for that great advice!

I didn't wipe my humidor down at all. I just placed the dish and sponge inside the humidor as per Herf N Turf's walkthrough.


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## felker14 (Jun 20, 2013)

CubanJames said:


> In the Man O War box. The Oasis mounts to the lid, so it doesn't take up any real estate. Felker14, I would like to send you a PM about your Oasis if I could please, I just have a couple questions. Also, thanks for that great advice!
> 
> I didn't wipe my humidor down at all. I just placed the dish and sponge inside the humidor as per Herf N Turf's walkthrough.


Feel free to PM. I realize my set up isn't the Ultra but I wanted to show you that it can be done.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

So it's been 17 hours and the humidity is 80%. When should I think about bringing the humidity down, should I start the process now? To help bring the humidity down, should I add 1-2 Boveda 72% packet in there, , and continue to season for 2-3 more days? After which time I should take everything out and leave the hygrometer in there for 24hrs to see if it holds around 70%, correct? If it holds 70%, it should be good to start throwing cigars into? 

My ideal humidity to store my cigars in will be 65%. So I would imagine it will take the humidor a little while to drop the humidity to 65% from 70-72%?

Thanks again for all the help I received, and for any future help.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Yeah the humidity is high.. That's good..

But you gotta let the wood soak it up... 

Patients.. It should take 1-3 weeks for the wood to fully moisten..


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

KcJason1 said:


> Yeah the humidity is high.. That's good..
> 
> But you gotta let the wood soak it up...
> 
> Patients.. It should take 1-3 weeks for the wood to fully moisten..


So I shouldn't add the 72% packs to take the humidity down closer to 70% for a few days, and let it season at that RH? Sorry if I misunderstood you.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

No, you should leave it at the higher level for a bit so the wood can soak it up. Again this is the humidity of the air you are reading. Patience is key when it comes to cigars.


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## AndyRN (Oct 24, 2012)

My 150 ct. humi took 5 days to get the humidity up. One way to check if the wood is saturated is to remove the water source let is sit for an hour and then check the humidity, then check it again in another couple of hours. If it's steady at 65-70% I would say you are good to go. That worked for me anyway. Took another day or two for it to come down to 65% with my HF beads but that's no biggie.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

CubanJames said:


> So I shouldn't add the 72% packs to take the humidity down closer to 70% for a few days, and let it season at that RH? Sorry if I misunderstood you.


u said u read herf n turfs thread.. Just follow his directions. Stop trying to cheat a slow process.. It will only hurt you and make the process take longer!

Many of us here have been smoking for years.. We know what's up!


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

AndyRN said:


> My 150 ct. humi took 5 days to get the humidity up. One way to check if the wood is saturated is to remove the water source let is sit for an hour and then check the humidity, then check it again in another couple of hours. If it's steady at 65-70% I would say you are good to go. That worked for me anyway. Took another day or two for it to come down to 65% with my HF beads but that's no biggie.


Excellent advice. I will do this maybe in another few days and see where I'm at than. Just to be on the safe side.


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## tnlawyer (Jul 17, 2013)

Think of it as foreplay :lol:. Rushing things will lead to a less than great experience. Take your time, make sure the moisture level of the box is as it should be before you go shoving your sticks in there.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

Definitely great advice to adhere too. I'm getting more patient with the process, as I don't want to have to re-season again because I cut the process short. The RH in my box is between 77-80%.

Can anyone tell me why when I had a plate of water in the humidor, the RH never really got above 76-77. When I soaked a sponge and added it, the RH went to 80% in a fairly short time?


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Depending on the size of the sponge, the sponge more that likely has more surface area that the water in a dish... Sounds like you were opening your humidor often..

I know you wanna peak, but stop opening your humidor... Let it go for a few days.. The more you open it the longer it will take


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

I'm worried that the RH may plummet (in all reality it won't, I know), or if the sponge will dry up. After a couple days, it was bone dry. But there was probably enough moisture in there for a couple days. The sponge is a few years old.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

The age of the sponge won't matter... Your sponge was dried out because you humidor is still thirsty and not fully seasoned.


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## alexcue (Mar 6, 2013)

I would have recommended you used a fresh new sponge. Rinsed out with only distilled water.
If it was bone dry, that wood was soaking it up like crazy.
I've got a 5Vegas 100ct that is exactly the same, except the decoration on the outside. It has been absolutely rock solid. Nice seal. Took a few days with 84% season packs AND the sponge in a dish.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

alexcue said:


> I would have recommended you used a fresh new sponge. Rinsed out with only distilled water.
> If it was bone dry, that wood was soaking it up like crazy.
> I've got a 5Vegas 100ct that is exactly the same, except the decoration on the outside. It has been absolutely rock solid. Nice seal. Took a few days with 84% season packs AND the sponge in a dish.


So you used both the 84% packs and the sponge? I thought about doing that, but not sure how it would interact with the sponge. If it will help things, I will add them in. I also thought about adding 2 sponges, see how that would help the thirsty wood get more moisture. I got 4, 4L jugs of distilled ready to go!


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## alexcue (Mar 6, 2013)

CubanJames said:


> So you used both the 84% packs and the sponge? I thought about doing that, but not sure how it would interact with the sponge. If it will help things, I will add them in. I also thought about adding 2 sponges, see how that would help the thirsty wood get more moisture. I got 4, 4L jugs of distilled ready to go!


Yep, i also used the damp sponge on the wood, carefully wiping it down. It had quite a bit of dust on it, and if you have the right ratio, you won't cause any harm.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

So after 4-5 days, I took the sponge out and it is holding at 75% strong. I'm trying to get the humidity down to 65%, so I have 4 65% Boveda packets in there to help do that, and they haven't helped much yet. I tried leaving the lid open for a couple hours, and it goes back to 75% withing 30-45min. I don't have beads, and they aren't an option atm for other reasons.

What can I try to drop the RH. Just keep the lid open longer, give the Boveda packs time to work and absorb the extra humidity?


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

How long have you had the sponges out? If less than 24 hours give it some time. Boveda packs are instantaneous. The take a bit. If you are up too high after 24 hours run to pet smart and but some non scented silica based cat litter if you dont want to go for beads. The Cat litter will pull it right down. But again be patient. All this change too fast isnt good for the wood and is going to cause warping.

One thing I havent noted is what hygrometer are you using and has it been calibrated. Should have brought this up in the first place. If it isnt accurate there is no telling where you actually are and may play games for months and never get it right. Analogs are the worst and I have gotten ones that came with the humi be off 20%. If your 75% is really 65% it could really suck pulling it back down just to need to run it back up again. Also what is your ambient RH? If its higher opening causes it to go up even more and lower can pull it down but if its only a few percentage points off from what you have its not going to be a quick venture.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

I have had the sponges out for about 34 hours. If I were to get some of the KL, how much would I need, a cup? It seems the Bovedas may be working as the RH is now 69%. I'm curious to see what it will be tomorrow.

I have a Xikar rectangle hygrometer that I calibrated for 36 hours with a Boveda calibrating pack. I have another digital hygrometer I use with my 50 ct humidor, and it reads the same RH. I'm confident that they are reporting the RH correctly. The ambient RH ranges from 53%-58% through out the day.


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## Tat2demon (Jul 21, 2013)

Congrats on the MoW Humi. I got one a month ago and love it. Turns out I love the hell out of the MoW cigars also.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

I bought the KL and put it in a foam (removed the foam) humidifier that came with the MoW, and filled it up with dry KL. So far the results are looking promising. The RH dropped from 69% to 64-65% in a matter of an hour, I didn't think it would work that fast. I shouldn't need to change the KL for a very long time, correct?



Tat2demon said:


> Congrats on the MoW Humi. I got one a month ago and love it. Turns out I love the hell out of the MoW cigars also.


It sure is a beautiful humidor. I couldn't of asked for anything better. I haven't tried the MoW cigars yet, I will add that to my list of cigars to get as I have a crap load of room I need to fill still. I do have 37 CC on there way to me though.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

So I broke down and bought a Large 65% Rh (BLUE Cap) Heartfelt Humidity Tube. It is for humidors up to 1080 cubic inches which is more than I need. But from what I read, more is good. I wish they weren't closed until the end of the month .


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

This is a classic example of where people think the humidor is always "too dry". It's possible the RH was fine and you could have used the humidor without doing anything other than loading up your cigars and THEN testing the RH.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Gdaddy said:


> This is a classic example of where people think the humidor is always "too dry". It's possible the RH was fine and you could have used the humidor without doing anything other than loading up your cigars and THEN testing the RH.


IMO classic example of trying to rush things.


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

JustinThyme said:


> IMO classic example of trying to rush things.


His target RH was 65% and when he started it was 63%. Not bad. It really needed nothing to be done but this 'seasoning' dogma has him running in circles buying all kinds of stuff.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

When he started he didnt take an initial reading. The 63% was the RH of the air in the humi after he had boveda packs and sponges in for a few hours. 
I guess Boveda is wrong and needs to be chastised as well for selling 84% seasoning kits and directing people to put them in and leave it shut for two weeks.


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

JustinThyme said:


> When he started he didnt take an initial reading. The 63% was the RH of the air in the humi after he had boveda packs and sponges in for a few hours.
> I guess Boveda is wrong and needs to be chastised as well for selling 84% seasoning kits and directing people to put them in and leave it shut for two weeks.


Yes, he did take initial readings...



> "I got 3 84% seasoning packets and had those in for a couple hours, and figured this is taking to long. I read Hurf and turfs thread with the sponge trick. So I decided to try it in my box. Within 30 min, the humidity shot for 63% to 70%."


He put in 3 Boveda packs for "a couple of hours". Most of us know that Boveda packs work pretty slowly and would have little effect in only a couple of hours. THEN he put in the sponge and it shot from "63% to 70%". His words not mine.

If it was at 63% after the Boveda packs why put in a sponge or anything for that matter? To immediately assume it needs more moisture is NOT correct thinking. It IS possible that the inside of that humidor was near an ideal RH without doing anything. I don't see why this is so difficult to understand. Not ALL humidors need seasoning. Some do and some don't.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

Things are moving along just fine now, I got 4 65% Bovedas in there and doing great. I also cancelled the order on the Heartfelts, as I felt it was not needed and my humidor is doing just fine now at the target RH I wanted.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

Gdaddy said:


> To immediately assume it needs more moisture is NOT correct thinking. It IS possible that the inside of that humidor was near an ideal RH without doing anything. I don't see why this is so difficult to understand. Not ALL humidors need seasoning. Some do and some don't.


I wish I would of known this being very green to this hobby and not knowing any better. Every place I read says you HAVE to season your humidor, no matter what, and if you don't, the humidor Gods will get you. I would of saved myself a bunch of time among other things. I will keep this in mind for the next humidor I get.


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

CubanJames said:


> I wish I would of known this being very green to this hobby and not knowing any better. Every place I read says you HAVE to season your humidor, no matter what, and if you don't, the humidor Gods will get you. I would of saved myself a bunch of time among other things. I will keep this in mind for the next humidor I get.


James it sounds like your on the right track now. You'll be just fine. I have been down that road also and learned that 'seasoning' is NOT always necessary. You'll know better next time.

Time to focus on the fun part... cigars!

Be aware that the cigars you put in the humidor may also effect the RH as well. After all, the cigars are the largest mass that will be in there. If they come from a reputable dealer the cigars themselves will help stabilize the RH at or near your target RH.

Any changes to the RH happen slowly. So relax and give it a week for the RH to stabilize and make small changes at a time.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

You don't necessarily have to but chances are you will.
Just look at the target temp and what it is (leave calibrated hygo in it for several hours closed) before you decide what to do. You will find that patience goes a long way in this hobby. Im the anal retentive type about my humis. I want them to be settled at the target before introducing sticks. 

Going forward when you are checking the humidity dont kill yourself chasing a +/- 1% window. Think in terms of days instead of hours. I prefer 65% or just under. Boveda packs are pretty reliable and rechargeable. Three are a few threads here about recharging.


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

Gdaddy and JustinThyme as well as others. I have learned so much from you all that will be invaluable to me in this great hobby. I can't thank everyone enough for being patient me. This forums has so much information on it, my brain is going to explode .

On the topic of cigars, I have 40 CC on there way to me tomorrow and I can't wait to throw these in my humidor, and of course smoke them!


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

Please let us know what the RH is after you place the cigars. I'd be curious to know what happens.

Good luck and enjoy!!


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## CubanJames (Aug 15, 2013)

I sure will.


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